New Report Available On The Economic Costs Of The Opioid Crisis At The County Level

In November 2017, the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a study estimating the economic cost of the opioid crisis in the U.S. to be $504 billion in 2015. Then, the January 2018 issue of HIDI HealthStats estimated the 2016 economic cost of opioid use disorder to be $12.6 billion in Missouri. Using the same methods, the American Enterprise Institute released a new study that carries the estimates to the county level in 2015. The study finds that the per capita economic burden attributable to opioids in Missouri was $1,727 during 2015. Twenty-two Missouri counties were among the highest national quintile of per capita costs attributable to opioid use disorder and overdose deaths.

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Missouri fell six places since 2016, ranking at number 41 of the 50 states in the United Healthcare Foundation's Health of Women and Children Report. Since 2016, maternal mortality increased 14 percent from 28.5 to 32.6 deaths per 100,000 live births.